


The Longest Knight: or, Two Things Being Turned Into A Trilogy When They Really Shouldn't Be

by John_Q_Sample



Category: Knight Rider (1982)
Genre: Action, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Beach Trip Gone Wrong Basically lol, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family Drama, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Found Family, Garthe Is Back, Gen, Happy Ending, KARR Is Back, Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Revenge, Sibling drama, Siblings, car crashes, hopefully, shorter chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-07 10:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15216857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Q_Sample/pseuds/John_Q_Sample
Summary: Among the rubble of an explosion, a microprocessor lays untouched. Two heroes speed off, not noticing that the light is still on.Off the edge of a cliff, a semi-truck sinks with its screaming passenger - yet the driver is nowhere to be seen.In other words, I brought Garthe Knight back for the sole purpose of having Jennifer hand his ass to him later on.





	1. Chapter 1

The microprocessor sits out on the table. Several wires connect it to a computer closeby. Natalie Galt types in something on the keyboard.

“There we go,” she says, leaning back in her seat. “He should be able to hear you now.”

The microprocessor lights up. “Who are you people?”

Garthe Knight approaches the table and puts his hands on either side of the microprocessor. “How are you feeling, KARR?”

“I’m alive, and that’s what matters.”

“You know what? I think I like you. I’m Garthe Knight, the unfortunate son of  _ your _ sorry creator.”

“I thought that was Michael Knight,” KARR comments blankly.

“Maybe I should take back what I said. Michael Knight is nothing more than a fake. I’ll explain later. Natalie,” Garthe says, eyeing the mechanic.

She nods and walks out of the room. She makes sure to close the door behind herself, quietly so that Garthe isn’t interrupted.

“Natalie here is making a new car, which you’ll be placed in,” Garthe explains. “We’re making it as similar to your old design as possible.”

“Black and silver?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I never want to be mistaken for that production line model again—”

“Yes, KITT, I know of that car,” Garthe says. “I never realized how  _ annoying _ it could be until Michael sent it after my truck.” Garthe taps his fingers on the table. “The both of them are still out there. Are you up for some more revenge?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes: beaches, Michael's tragic marriage, KITT complaining about music, Michael's tragic driving skills, some explanations, and a lot of Jennifer Knight.

Michael Knight carefully lays out a beach towel on the car seat. He folds it over once before sitting on top.

“You’re both soaked,” KITT complains.

“Well you can blame Michael for that,” Jennifer mutters, folding another beach towel on top of the passenger seat.

“You’re the one who splashed me!”

“After you tossed me in the water!” Jennifer sits down and ties her hair up in a ponytail. “I can see now why you don’t like driving Michael to the beach, KITT!”

“Oh, that’s low!” Michael says, hitting her with the wet shirt he had to change out of.

“Shall we go?” KITT suggests as he closes the doors gently.

“Yeah, KITT, we’re dropping Jennifer off.”

KITT starts driving away from the beach as Michael slips a dry shirt on.

“All things considered, thanks for taking me to the beach,” Jennifer says, leaning back to grab another beach towel. She starts to dry off her dripping hair. “I can’t believe you used to live there!”

“Yeah, our house used to be in that renovated parking lot.”

Jennifer frowns, pausing with the towel still in her hands. “What happened?”

“Exploded.”

“What?!”

“I know! That was when I tried to quit at the Foundation. And, you know, to  _ relax _ for once. Apparently, that’s impossible for me.” He leans back to pick up his bag. Out of it he takes his comm-link and a wedding ring. He slips the ring on and straps the comm-link around his wrist. “Okay, KITT, back to normal mode. I can drive.”

Autopilot switches off, and Michael takes the steering wheel.

“Shotgun picks music!” Jennifer says, leaning forward to inspect they dashboard. “Hey KITT, how do you turn on the radio?”

“It’s the dials to the right of the microprocessor,” KITT says. “Anything to avoid listening to Michael’s awful, disruptful music...”

“Jokes on you, KITT,” Michael says. “Jennifer and I like the same singers!”

“Good heavens.”

Jennifer and Michael high five as the music starts playing.

Since it’s later at night, the road is nearly empty. Michael turns on the headlights and drives down the road.

“It’s this turn, right?”

“Left, left, left!”

Michael nearly skids down the road.

“Jeeze, Michael,” Jennifer says, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Hey, we got here,” Michael says, parking on the driveway to Jennifer’s house.

“ _ That’s _ your philosophy on driving?”

“Did you die?”

Jennifer only shakes her head again. She grabs her bag and her beach towel, and KITT opens the passenger door for her before she can even get to it.

“Thanks, you two.”

“Goodnight, Jennifer!”

“Goodnight!”

The door closes. Michael waits in the driveway and watches Jennifer walk up to the front door. She pauses, turning back to wave at Michael, before going inside.

What it’s like to have a brother again!

She locks the door as an afterthought and walks to her bedroom. She drops her bag on top of her bed and pulls out a pair of pajamas, which she takes to the bathroom with a plain towel. She takes a quick shower, only to get the sand, saltwater, and sunscreen off of her. Then she slips the pajamas on and ties a towel around her hair. She begins to hum to herself—that damn song from the radio again! It’s always getting stuck in her head, and of course Michael always brings it up to annoy her—as she walks into the kitchen to grab something to eat before going to bed.

That’s when the doorbell rings.

“Damn!” she hisses, frantically removing the towel from her head. “Damn!” she says a few more times as she dries off her hair the best she can, drops the towel over the arm of her couch, and slips on a bathrobe. She takes a deep breath and opens the door.

A harsh, familiar face appears.

“So this  _ is _ where you live!”

Jennifer lets out a gasp and stumbles back, but does not fall. In fear of what could happen if she drops her guard, she refuses to remove her eyes from her brother.

“I thought you—you were—we all—the  _ cliff _ —”

“You thought I was dead, I know.” Garthe steps forward and closes the door behind himself. “I thought I could use the time to myself. But what kind of brother would I be to abandon my baby sister for so long?”

Jennifer clenches her fists behind her back. Baby sister, she always hates that. She's barely any younger than he is anyway. “What happened?”

“You must have been told how Goliath was thrown off the cliff, but you must have forgotten that I know how to swim, and that I can break a glass window if absolutely necessary.” He holds up his right hand, streaked with scars from the broken glass.

“What about that...that...Adrianne?”

“What about her?”

Jennifer feels nauseous suddenly. “Oh, God, you killed her!”

“She didn’t get out of the truck. Her own mistake. How is that me killing her?”

As Jennifer backs up, Garthe steps forward. It’s only know that she realizes she’s been trying to move away from him. She takes another step away.

“Does anyone else know you’re still alive?” she asks, hoping to keep him talking. Keep him distracted from doing anything to her. Whatever he’s planning.

“No one important. You’re the last surviving member of the Knight family. I wanted to talk to you first.”

Jennifer runs into the coffee table and stiffens. Garthe stops moving, only glances behind her with a sense of irritation. He crosses his arms.

“Really, Jenny.”

“Dad called me Jenny,” Jennifer says. “You don’t.”

Garthe puts up his hands. “Alright, then!”

“What do you want, Garthe?”

“I know you’ve seen Michael Knight,” Garthe says. “Don’t bother asking how. I just want you to tell him that I’m here, and that he should keep his guard up. He should know what to expect.”

“Why? Are you planning something?”

Garthe puts his scarred hand on her shoulder and squeezes, not comfortingly. “This is between Michael and myself. You’re just the messenger. Goliath is gone, but I’ve found something better. Can you remember that, Jennifer?”

She’s surprised he even listened to her complaint about the nickname. After she nods and mutters a “yes”, he lets go of her, and she rubs her aching shoulder.

“What’s...what’s better than Goliath?”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, dear sister.”

That wasn’t where she was going with her question, and he knows it.

“I’ll be going, then. I’m sure you can call Michael tonight. I know you have his number. I’f he’s busy, then tomorrow morning will do.”

He turns suddenly and walks out the front door. Jennifer runs to catch him, but she’s met with a slammed door in her face. She freezes only for a second, then shudders as she recovers herself. She throws open the front door and sprints out to the patio, but there’s nothing she can do to stop the black and silver Pontiac Trans-Am as it speeds off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mgmgmghhhhhhh god i hat egarthe knight so MUCh wenever he says anything i just want 2 throw up n writing him is Not At All Easier!!! :^)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes: pajamas, insulting Goliath, vague nightmares, and sentimental stories of being handcuffed to pipes.

By the time Michael drives back to the house, he can see Jennifer pacing the front porch. She’s still wearing pajamas, slippers, and a bathrobe. He parks on the driveway, warns KITT to go into surveillance mode, and walks up to the front door. Jennifer jumps, pointing her keys at him threateningly, before sighing with relief and walking forward to hug him.

“Are you okay?” Michael asks, putting his arms around her. “I could barely understand what you were talking about over the phone. What happened?”

Jennifer looks up at him. Then, she lets go and backs away. “It’s Garthe. He’s back.”

“Garthe? As in, Garthe Knight, your brother?”

“What other Garthe is there?!” Jennifer explodes.

Michael puts up his hands and leans back. “Just making sure.”

She presses her fingers against her temple and lets out a shaky breath. “I know, sorry. He...Well, he came here and said that he got out of Goliath when it went over that cliff. Adrianne, though, he just let her die! He told me to tell you that...that he’s here, and...something about how Goliath is gone, but he said he found something better.”

“Better than Goliath?”

“I know.”

Michael crosses his arms. “Is that all he said?”

“Other than that, he was just spouting something about how he wanted to see me first since we’re related and all, not that he’s cared about that before. And I think he still hates you.”

“Well, obviously, if he’s going through all this to—” Michael lets his hands drop. “Jennifer, how did he get into your house?”

“He rang the doorbell!”

“He  _ rang _ the  _ doorbell _ ?” Michael repeats, appalled.

“I’m serious, Michael. He just rang the doorbell, and when I went to answer it, I didn’t have the time to tell him not to come in. He just walked in like it was a completely normal visit.” She shudders again. “And then with everything he said about Goliath...”

“Do you think there’s a chance he’ll be coming back?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But what would he want from here? From me? I don’t have—anything.”

Michael gives her a stern look. “We don’t know what he’s planning. We’ll just have to see. Are you safe here?”

“Safe?” Jennifer repeats, tugging her bathrobe more tightly around herself.

“Why don’t you stay at my place? That way if Garthe comes back...” Michael puts up his hands. “I’m not saying he is. It’s just a precaution.”

Hesitating, Jennifer looks back at her house. It’s empty, the lights turned off everywhere except the porch. She can’t make herself step back inside; she looks at Michael and nods. They walk to the driveway together.

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re already in pajamas,” Michael says, hoping to lighten the mood the slightest bit.

Jennifer only laughs nervously and says, “I was planning on going to bed when he showed up. Now I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep at all.”

KITT opens his doors when they arrive.

“I’ve got bad news for you, buddy,” Michael says, sitting down in the driver’s seat.

“I heard,” KITT says. “Garthe Knight is back. And he’s planning on something even worse than that behemoth!”

“Behemoth?” Jennifer repeats, surprised at the word choice. “Well, you’re right about that.”

“Where to now, Michael?”

“We’re taking Jennifer to my place. Don’t worry. I’ll be driving.”

“Okay, Michael.”

Michael starts to drive away from her house.

“Jennifer, are you okay?” Michael asks, sparing a glance in her direction.

Jennifer wraps her arms around herself. “I think I will be, thank you.”

“Based on what I’ve seen of him already, I’m guessing Garthe wasn’t the best brother out there.”

“Oh, no, he was the  _ worst _ !” Jennifer says with a sad little laugh. She adds, unthinkingly, “You know, sometimes I think Dad ws the only thing stopping him from killing me!”

“Jeeze, Jennifer!”

Jennifer looks out the window and rests her chin in her hand. “It sounds worse now that I’m saying it out loud, I guess. See, Mom, whenever she was there, she didn’t usually care. But she had work a lot, and Dad was always solving his cases. Sometimes Devon would come by to babysit—when we were younger, but by the time we were teenagers, it was pretty much just Garthe and I there. So, you know.”

“That’s awful!”

“The son of my creator,” KITT laments.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Jennifer says. “He’s all but disowned the family, except for Mom since she helped him with...well, prison. Revenge schemes.”

Jennifer falls silent for the last few moments of the ride. Michael doesn’t bother trying to get her to talk, knowing that she’s probably thinking about her past. She is only pulled out of her daydreaming when he quietly parks in front of a small apartment building.

“KITT, is your surveillance mode still on?”

“As always,” KITT responds.

“Good. Keep it that way, pal.”

“You’re within walking distance from the Foundation,” Jennifer comments as she steps out of the car. She’s barely able to make out the details of the building in the night sky, but she can tell what it is.

“In case KITT has to stay at the garage,” Michael explains.

“Smart.”

Jennifer puts her hands in the pockets of her bathrobe and follows Michael to the front door of the apartment. He pulls out a keyring and unlocks the door.

“Goodnight, buddy!” Michael calls, waving at KITT.

“Goodnight, Michael. Goodnight, Jenifer.”

Jennifer waves awkwardly before going inside the apartment. Michael follows closely and turns on the lights to the living room as he closes the door behind himself.

“It’s a mess,” he says blankly, something like an apology for the state of his apartment. It’s barely anything.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Michael. Thank you for letting me stay.”

“You can sleep on the couch for tonight. I’ll go get some blankets and pillows!”

He disappears into the bedroom, and Jennifer waits, standing in the living room. He returns a few moments later with some folded blankets and a few pillows on top. Jennifer rushes forward to help him, and they end up dropping everything on the couch.

“Thank you, Michael,” Jennifer says again, spreading the blankets out on the couch. she tosses the pillows on one side and sits down on top of the blankets. “Really, this is...nice. Of you. Coming from the guy who left me handcuffed to a pipe, you know.”

“Still mad about that?”

“Have you ever been handcuffed to a pipe before?”

“Do you want to hear the story?”

Jennifer raises an eyebrow at him skeptically.

“I’m not messing with you. Vietnam, okay? I was at the—”

Jennifer throws up her hands. “Okay, fine!”

With Michael not wanting to talk about the case just yet, there’s barely anything for them to discuss afterward. Jennifer doesn’t remember falling asleep. She remembers Michael leaving her and turning the lights off. Then she remembers a vague sense of panic, and suddenly waking up on the couch the next morning. It takes her a few minutes to calm herself and figure out where she’s at until she sees Michael, dressed in a button-up shirt and a pair of jeans, walking past her to grab his leather jacket.

“Morning,” Michael says. “Hey, I was thinking we could go to this diner for breakfast. You should  _ see _ their hash browns.”

Jennifer covers her mouth as she yawns. “Sounds great, but could you drop me off at my house first? I don’t want to go there in my pajamas.”

Michael points. “Good idea.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes breakfast.

“Michael, I haven’t seen you in a bit!”

“Been busy with work and stuff.”

“How’s KITT?”

“Doing just fine! He’s in a shady parking spot, so he’s happy.”

“Good to hear. And who’s this?”

Jennifer smiles nervously at the waitress. “I’m Jennifer Knight.”

“My sister,” Michael explains.

The waitress leaves them with a pair of menus and two glasses filled with ice water. They’ve already ordered two mugs of coffee.

“So I guess you come here a lot.”

“Well, you know,” Michael says, not looking up from the menu. He’s already memorized everything here, due to his frequent visits and the fact that it’s a fairly short menu anyway. He decides on the usual combination of bacon, eggs, and hash browns and waits for Jennifer to order.

“Are the pancakes here good? or should I even trust your judgement?”

“Rude,” Michael points out, “and yes, they’re very good. But I’d get the smaller portion. Just trust me.”

The so-called “short stack” that Jennifer orders comes with five pancakes, each one almost twice the size of her head.

“Are the portions always so huge here?” Jennifer asks, nervously eyeing the plate of pancakes.

It’s then that she notices the size of Michael’s plate.

Michael waves his hands. “Just say it’s part of the magic.”

Jennifer pours some syrup over her pancakes and works at cutting a decent-sized bite off. “So what are we going to do about Garthe?”

“Once we’re done here,” Michael says, scooping up a forkful of scrambled eggs, “I’m going to the Foundation to tell devon what happened.”

“I’m coming with you,” Jennifer insists in a no-nonsense tone that Michael is all to familiar with.

“Okay, you’re coming too, then. What we need to do is figure out what Garthe’s going to do, why, and how to stop it.” He looks up suddenly, and the eggs fall off his fork. “You think he’s building another semi-truck?”

“That would just be another Goliath,” Jennifer points out. “Don’t you think? It has to be something different. Something supposedly ‘better’.”

“He drove right off a cliff last time,” Michael says. “It’s got to be something...smaller. SOmething with better brakes, so that won’t happen again.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m not sure of anything.”

“Personally, I don’t care what he’s building. I just want to know what he plans on doing with it.”

“Another revenge scheme, I’m guessing, paired with something that’ll make him rich and powerful.”

“If you say so.”

“Vegas!” Michael exclaims, snapping his fingers. It’s a loud outburst, but only one or two people look up. “When I first saw Garthe,” Michael whispers, “he was in Vegas, at a suite in a casino. What are the chances he’ll be back someplace like that?”

“Well, he did always like gambling,” Jennifer murmurs back. “And he was good at it, so it would get him a lot of money.”

“The money he would need to build something better than Goliath,” Michael adds. “He’s been legally declared dead. Everything he had that wasn’t on him at the time was pretty much lost—unless he went and stole it from whoever got it. He would pretty much need to start over. New cards, new everything.”

“You seem to know a lot on this subject,” Jennifer says skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “How do you know there’s not some way to get his stuff back?”

“He had a sudden ‘death’ that he couldn’t exactly prepare for. It’s not like he could prepare a, I don’t know, a will or something that would help him out later. Didn’t you get most of what he owned?”

“Well, yeah...”

“Alright, then I need to check around Vegas. See if there’s anyone there who knows him. It’s not so far anyway. He could easily get to your house and back.”

“So, first Devon...then Vegas.”

“You want to come to Vegas, too?”

“I’m in on this case, Michael,” Jennifer says. “This is my brother we’re dealing with. I know he didn’t involve me the last two times, but this one must be different for a reason.”

“We’ll talk about it.”

“We’re talking about it right now,” Jennifer points out. She leans in and whispers so as not to make a scene. “Look, Michael, I can handle this. Last night, I might have been scared, but I’ve already gotten used to the idea that he’s back. I know I can help you.”

Michael hesitates. He doesn’t know why he’s so against Jennifer getting involved, but the idea leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

“Fine,” he says at last, trying not to grit his teeth. “Devon. Then Vegas. Then wherever the leads take us. Jennifer?”

Jennifer looks up.

“You promise me that if things get too dangerous, you just stay in the car.”

“I get it. I promise.” And then, after a few moments, “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what's ur opinion on michael saying "yeet"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes major theft.

With KITT parked in his usual marked parking spot, Michael and Jennifer walk inside the building.

Surveillance mode is, as usual, activated.

Everyone in the lobby is worried as to why Jennifer is at the Foundation. There are people giving their condolences for her family, as if these are new losses, and other people asking about the state of Knight Industries. Michael ushers Jennifer into the elevator, and they both breathe a sigh of relief when the doors slide closed.

“Sorry about that,” Michael says. “You’re—well, Jennifer Knight.”

Jennifer nods. “It’s hard to forget.”

The elevator stops, and the doors open up with a loud “ding!” sound. Michael and Jennifer step out. Michael leads Jennifer down the hallway to Devon’s office. Since the doors are open, they walk in without really knocking or anything.

Devon, sitting up at his desk, looks up, startled by the sudden appearance. He works out a smile and walks forward to greet Jennifer warmly.

“Devon, we got some bad news,” Michael says.

Devon raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Jennifer?”

Jennifer looks at her brother, then at Devon.

“It’s Garthe,” she says finally, fidgeting nervously with her hands. “He’s...back.”

“Back?” Devon repeats.

“He came to my house last night,” Jennifer explains. “He said he had been letting us think that he was dead so he could have time to do whatever he’s planning on doing. ‘Better than Goliath’ is what he said.”

Devon passes a hand over his forehead. “Oh my.”

“We need to figure out what it is he’s doing,” Michael says. “And what he plans to do with it. Jennifer and I were thinking we could check around Vegas to see if anyone’s seen him around there. It’s our only lead so far.”

At that point, Bonnie comes in.

“It’s the semi,” she says breathlessly.

They bolt out of the room.

With half in the elevator and half sprinting down the stairs, they both end up reaching the parked semi-truck at about the same time. The back of it is utterly destroyed as if someone rammed through it. Inside is even worse; the whole office has been ransacked. Michael sprints to the back, where RC is lying unconscious.

“RC,” Michael whispers, shaking him as gently as he can.

RC stirs, then wakes with a gasp. The sudden movement sends pain through his head.

“You alright?”

“Fine,” he rasps, wincing and rubbing the back of his head.

“Michael,” Bonnie says, pointing to the damaged shelves. “They stole information on KITT.”

“That can’t be good. RC, you were here?”

With Michael’s help, he stands up. “Yeah...All I remember is some car driving in. The doors weren’t even opened. It just went through, and then I was thrown back—”

“You must have hit your head on something,” Jennifer says, stepping forward to inspect for any injuries.

“The car, what did it look like?”

RC furrows his brow as he makes himself remember. “I know it was black and silver.”

“Black and silver, good.”

“I can’t say what kind of car it was, but...It almost looked like KITT.”

“Did it have a yellow light on it?” Jennifer blurts.

RC frowns. “I think so. Yeah—”

“Michael,” Jennifer says, “that’s Garthe’s car.”

“Garthe’s car?”

“I saw him driving it away from my house,” Jennifer explains. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I thought it was, I don’t know, some weird imitation thing.”

“A black and silver Trans-Am with yellow lights,” Michael clarifies. He looks over at Devon and Bonnie. “That’s KARR.”

“KARR? I thought Dad was supposed to destroy that.”

“He was, but he left KARR out in the old lab. Then he got out, and...well, last time we saw him, he blew up.”

“He blew up?” Jennifer repeats, squinting with confusion.

“Hang on,” RC says, wincing. “When KITT was nearly destroyed, we could just rebuild him with the same microprocessor.”

“But we still had the car,” Bonnie points out. “He would have had to find another car or build one from scratch.”

“He could use KITT’s plans to figure out the extra features,” Michael says.

“Michael, that could take months,” Bonnie argues. “Even starting with a normal Trans-Am, which is still expensive to get anyway.”

“You never dealt with Garthe. I doubt that’s too over-the-top for him.”

“Better than Goliath,” Jennifer says, recalling the information she had been given earlier. “Then that must be what he’s planning on doing.”

“It would make sense,” Michael says. “KARR wants KITT out of the way. Garthe wants me out of the way.”

“It’s terrible,” Jennifer murmurs.

Bonnie puts up her hands. “Look, if we’re really dealing with KARR again, I’m going to have to make sure KITT’s ready. I’ll call April in and see if she can tell me anything about what she had to do with KITT while you were dealing with Goliath, too.”

“But we still have to go to Vegas and look for clues there,” Michael argues.

“We could use my car,” Jennifer offers hesitantly.

Michael turns and narrows his eyes at her.

“Just that one time,” Jennifer says.

“Why don’t we postpone the visit to Vegas?” Devon cuts in, seeing the possibility of an argument arising. “Given what you might find there, I think it would have KITT with you. In the meantime, we can work on finding out everything we can here. If anyone’s seen KARR, for example, or any recent purchases of a Trans-Am.”

Michael and Jennifer look at each other. The solution makes sense anyway. Slowly, they begin to nod, agreeing with Devon’s proposition.

Michael leans into his comm-link. “KITT, we need you. Come to the garage, and we’ll explain what’s going on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the only car,, is kitt


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes about as much Garthe Knight as I can handle right now.

“And here we are.”

Natalie struggles under the weight of the stack of notebooks suddenly dropped into her arms.

“Wow, you got them,” she says in disbelief. She stumbles over to the desk and puts the notebooks down. “Um, thank you. How did you...? You know what? Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“Good,” Garthe says. “So now you’ll be able to figure out how to build some of KARR’s more complex features?”

“With all these files, I can probably do more than that.” Natalie starts flipping through one of the notebooks. “Look, they even have prototypes for different additions they put on KITT—after KARR was built. What’s that, a laser?”

“Now that would be an interesting addition,” Garthe says. “Let’s bring this to the garage and see what we can do with it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i was trying 2 model those episode things where it's like,, main action and then brief scenes of the villains so u know what's up b4 michael does (bc that's always fun and Not Stressful At All)
> 
> but also garthe knight makes me want 2 DieTM so it's gr8 that his chapters are smol 4 now
> 
> *loud sighing*


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With KITT in the garage, Michael and Jennifer have to investigate on their own.
> 
> I'm just being all wobbly with the formats of these chapter summaries, aren't I? :/

Michael and Jennifer linger around the edge of the room. April came in just a few minutes ago. After the briefest of reunions, they went straight to work. A whole team to get KITT ready for this....But, as bothering as it is, it makes sense. Garthe and KARR were some of the most difficult cases to deal with, and it’s much easier to improve KITT’s protection now than to have to fix him later.

“How did you get rid of KARR the last two times you had to deal with him?” Jennifer asks, hoping to come up with some sort of plan.

Michael shifts in his seat. “Well, the first time, Bonnie tried to make a laser that would shoot at the scanners, the one weak point. It didn’t work since we ran out of shots, so I just drove at him until he chickened out and ended up driving off a cliff into the water.”

“Oh,” Jennifer responds, not knowing what else she should say.

“The second time, we were going to try the laser again, until he ended up stealing it. So we just reflected the laser back at him, which got most of his functions down. He ended up exploding anyway.”

“Except the microprocessor,” Jennifer corrects, recalling their previous conversation.

“Right. In order to have him completely killed, the microprocessor needs to go.”

“Well...Well.” Jennifer pushes herself up to her feet. “We should probably start on our own investigations. We can go out to car lots around here and see if they sold any Trans-Ams lately.”

“We can’t do that,” Michael says, gesturing to KITT, who currently has his hood popped open and the three mechanics looking inside.

“Jennifer, I can drive you and Michael to your house,” Devon offers. “You can start with your investigations there.”

“KITT will be ready by noon tomorrow at the latest,” Bonnie assures him.

Michael goes over and pats KITT’s roof. “You heard them, pal. We’ll be back by then, okay?”

“Good luck, Michael.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in luck!”

“You know what I mean.”

Devon takes them out to the parking lot. Michael ends up having to sit in the back of the car, which he pretends not to mind. The ride is silent; Devon has a lot to think about, and neither Jennifer nor Michael want to interrupt him, even if the quietness is awkward.

Devon parks in front of the house. As Michael climbs out the back, Devon puts his hand on Jennifer’s shoulder.

“I want you to be careful with your brother.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle him. Thanks, Devon.”

Jennifer climbs out of the car and finds Michael waiting for her.

“Thanks for the ride,” Michael says. “We’ll call you if we find something interesting.”

They walk up to the porch. Jennifer unlocks the front door and lets Michael in first. Once they’re safely inside, Devon drives off.”

“I’m guessing you don’t go out looking for new cars often,” Jennifer says as she walks into the living room.

Michael stops and raises both his eyebrows at her.

“That’s what I thought.” She bends down and pulls out a magazine basket under her table. She pulls out a phone book, which she drops onto the coffee table with an unintentionally loud thud. She winces. “I don’t either, so we’re just going to have to do this the long way.”

Michael kneels by the coffee table next to her. “Finding all the car dealers in the area? That’s going to be fun.”

“Then we can see which ones have sold Trans-Ams lately. Maybe we should narrow it down to black or two-tone Trans-Ams? He probably wouldn’t waste the time painting the whole thing.”

“If you say so.”

“Once we narrow it down, we can go and ask if they’ve seen Garthe...With your position at the Foundation, do they have to answer our questions?”

“Not exactly. But we can let them know that we’re taking part in an investigation, and they might just comply without even asking whether we’re official.”

“We don’t really look like cops,” Jennifer comments as she leafs through pages of the phonebook. “Do you think we could track his license plate or something? I don’t know what it says on it.”

“I’m guessing it would be ‘KARR’.”

Jennifer looks at him skeptically. Michael responds in the same manner.

“What, you’re serious?”

“That’s what it said last time,” Michael explains, “and it seems Garthe is going for nostalgia.”

“Okay, fine.” Jennifer points to a part in the phonebook and stands up. “I’m going to get a notebook, and I’ll write down all the addresses. You just read them out to me.”

“Will do.”

It’s tedious work, naming out different car dealerships and having to write down all the information. What’s worse is going over to talk to them. Long drives to locations far away only to be met with reluctant dealers who can’t seem to recall any useful information. Michael’s beginning to suspect that the car used wasn’t even bought in the area, but they still have to stay nearby.

“What about this?” Jennifer suggests, consulting her notes as they sit in her parked car. “A used car lot. I’ve seen some commercials for the place. Some of the cars are really high quality, but it’s all pretty inexpensive. Perfect if you’re going to change everything in the car anyway, right?”

“Maybe. But why would someone sell them a relatively new Trans-Am?”

“I don’t know, maybe the car just wasn’t for them. Not everyone’s as deeply attached to their car as you are,” she points out. She hands over her notes and starts up the car. “It may be another dead end, but I think it would be worth a shot anyway.”

“Deeply attached,” Michael mutters, irritated.

“Michael, I didn’t mean that as an insult. I was just saying.”

“Well even if they don’t talk, Trans-Ams are cool cars.”

“I think you might be just a _little_ biased, you know.”

Michael ignores her likely true comment and unfolds his map. “I haven’t used one of these in ages. Just hang on.” He compares it with the address written down in the notes and traces his finger along the trail. “Okay, at this next stoplight, you’re going to want to make a—I think a right turn.”

“Oh, I hope you’re right!” Jennifer says, following his directions anyway. “And then what?”

“Okay—straight for a few miles, and then you’re going to get on the highway.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

Jennifer raises an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, I’m used to KITT’s methods, but I know what I’m doing. I _did_ have a normal car at one point, remember?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why I keep for—”

“Look out!” Michael yells.

Jennifer veers out of the way just as a car zips past them.

“That asshole was going the wrong way!”

Michael looks over his shoulder. “That’s not just any asshole!”

It’s the very same black and silver Trans-Am they’ve been dreading.

There’s no one else on the road. KARR skids to a stop and spins around, kicking up dust and smoke. Jennifer slams on the gas pedal, launching them forward on the road.

“We can’t beat KARR in speed,” Michael warns.

“I know! We’re just tryi—”

Jennifer gasps out as the car slams into them. They skid out of the road, and KARR comes after them again. Jennifer can’t get the car under control, no matter how hard she tries. Next is a horrible crunching sound, Michael passing out, and the other car in question speeding off before anyone can even reach the scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 7 boy-oh!! this is long bc i h8 editing but i still want to appear the slightest bit presentable in my writing and uhh


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeehaw

“So I’m guessing this wouldn’t be your first time in the hospital.”

At least Michael and Jennifer are beside each other in their own hospital beds.

“Would you like a comprehensive list of everyone that’s succeeded in shooting me?” Michael suggests, wincing as he speaks. “What about you?”

“Well, there was this one time when I was fifteen, and I got into a fight with Garthe because he kept bullying my friend from school. He brought out a knife, and I ended up with a pretty bad scar on my side. But I did slice Garthe in the knee, and he ended up leaving my friend alone—”

“You know, there’s just  _ something _ about all your childhood stories.”

Jennifer smiles briefly, giving off something like a small laugh that ends more in a sigh. “I don’t get how you can make a joke right now.”

“It’s the only thing keeping me away from unbearable depression,” Michael says with a smile.

Jennifer shakes her head.

“Okay, then let’s talk about this. Why did he let us go? He could have killed us right then.”

“Well...” Jennifer frowns, thinking of it. “You did say that KARR had something against KITT, right? Maybe they wanted to wait until they had the both of you.”

“You think he was worried that you were in the car?”

Jennifer raises an eyebrow. “Do I need to show you my scar from the knife fight?”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

Jennifer falls back on her pillow. “He must have gotten that...that shell you were talking about.”

“And they fixed it up so KARR could go faster,” Michael says. “About as fast as KITT can reach on a good day.”

“They?” Jennifer repeats. “You think he’s working with someone?”

“I didn’t mean to say—” Michael pauses, considering the idea. “Actually, that would make sense. Even Bonnie can’t build up a whole car that fast on her own. He must have someone helping him with it.”

“It would be easier to find out who that is if everyone he already knew wasn’t dead or working against him,” Jennifer points out.

“Still, that’s something. We could look for mechanics who are in need of a job, or who have some personal reason to be working with Garthe and KARR.”

“Not giving up the case even in the hospital, huh?” says the voice of a new visitor.

“Bon!” Michael grins and sits up to greet Bonnie.

She comes in followed closely by RC, April, and Devon.

“We heard about the accident,” Devon says. “I’m afraid...whoever’s responsible hasn’t been caught yet.”

“As expected,” Michael mutters.

“Was it really Garthe?” April asks, looking nervous.

“In KARR,” Michael says.

April makes a face.

“You must be KITT’s mechanic from when you were dealing with Goliath,” Jennifer says, noticing April’s reactions to the news. “I’m...sorry if he did anything.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. Anyway, it’d be better hearing that coming from  _ him _ .”

“Well, he’s not a big fan of the apologies.”

“I figured.”

Michael sits up in bed. “We better get back out there. How’s Jennifer’s car?”

“Totalled,” Bonnie responds.

“KITT?”

“Still working on him,” RC says.

“Guess we’re walking!” Michael tries to stand from his bed. He feels dizzy, with black spots appearing in his vision suddenly.

“No, you’re not,” Devon argues, stepping forward to put a firm hand on his shoulder. “You only just get up. You could do with a bit of rest, given your injuries.”

“And we still have to work on KITT,” Bonnie reminds him. “We’ve only been at it for a few hours.”

“Do we have to stay here?” Michael asks, looking to Devon for guidance.

“As patients, you’re free to check out at any time, even against the wishes of the doctors,” Devon says. “And if you wish, I’ll even drive you two home.”

Michael looks to his sister. “What do you want to do?”

“I’d rather not stay here,” Jennifer admits. “I feel like a sitting duck or something.”

Devon nods. “You two get ready. I’ll be waiting outside.”

Once the guests leave, Michael and Jennifer pick up their clothes, left at the foot of the medical beds. Jennifer changes in the bathroom while Michael stays outside. By the time they leave the hospital room, Devon is alone in the hallway.

“The others have gone back to work already,” Devon explains as he leads the pair out of the hospital.

“I just hope it’s enough,” Michael says.

“Maybe we should just go to your apartment,” Jennifer says. “It’s within walking distance of the Foundation, right?”

“Right,” Michael says. “We can call you if anything happens.”

Michael’s in the back of Devon’s car again. This time, there’s much to talk about it, yet no one says a word. Michael’s beginning to dislike car rides with Devon.

At his apartment, Michael and Jennifer practically collapse on opposite ends of the couch.

“TV?” Michael suggests.

“Sure,” Jennifer says tiredly.

She’s not commenting on any of the channels, so Michael goes with a marathon of an old show he used to watch. He stands up painfully from the couch and starts to go towards the kitchen.

“Want some lunch?”

“That’s a good idea, actually.”

They go into the kitchen and see what they can find. Michael gets some bread, and they scavenge the fridge for things to put into a few sandwiches.

“Beer?” Michael suggests, ducking into the fridge.

“It’s noon,” Jennifer points out. “We’re having lunch.”

“Then two sodas,” Michael says, putting out two cans out on the kitchen table.

They sit down to eat.

“I wish we could do something more,” Jennifer says, not yet taking a bite of her sandwich. “I know we just got out of the hospital...”

“I know how you feel,” Michael says, “but I don’t want to go out without KITT anymore. As soon as they’re done fixing him up, we’ll have to go.”

“To Vegas?”

“I just hope there’s something there,” Michael says.

“If there isn’t, then what?”

“Something will turn up.”

“Are you sure?” Jennifer asks.

Michael raises his eyebrow and gives her a stern look—a signal to stop asking so many questions. Jennifer ignores it.

“I want to know what our back-up plan is,” she says. “Checking out car dealerships didn’t work.”

“Clearly,” Michael says, wincing at his injuries.

“What if something happens in Vegas?”

“If you don’t want to go...”

“It’s not that,” Jennifer argues. “I just—I don’t know.”

“I know how you feel,” Michael says again. “The way I see it, KARR probably isn’t at his best capabilities at this point. They’re probably still building him up. As soon as KITT’s finished, we have to go fast before they can start adding more to him. They got the plans. Maybe they’ll build a new laser or start building up super pursuit mode. The more we hesitate, the more dangerous it gets.”

Jennifer rubs a bruise on her arm with her thumb. “I heard about what happened with KITT when you were fighting Goliath that first time.”

“Yeah. I don’t want a repeat of anything like that.”

“You better not get yourself killed, Michael. You hear me?”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KITT's finished, made faster and stronger in case they should run into KARR later on. Michael and Jennifer go to Vegas to see if anyone's seen them. They ask more questions than a concerned pair of siblings should.

“I hope I look alright.”

“You know, for a car you’re really concerned about your appearance.”

“That’s not what I meant, Michael.”

Jennifer sits on a couch and watches as KITT and Michael talk. She’s used to the idea of a talking car by now, but the work they’re doing is something else entirely.

Maybe it’s good that she doesn’t get used to it. She doesn’t plan on doing this often—being in so much danger all the time...The only reason she’s involved with this “case” is because she wants to see that Garthe is dealt with properly.

Bonnie, April, and RC come in to discuss the various modifications made to KITT. Jennifer can barely understand any of it. She’s not bad with cars; she knows more than enough to handle her own (well, before the accident). But the features added to KITT are more than any normal mechanic would have to deal with.

“Is it necessary to arm yourself with your old baseball bat?” Devon asks nervously, suddenly right beside her.

Jennifer barely stops herself from jumping. “Devon, hello!” she stammers as casually as she can.

Devon smiles. “Hello Jennifer. I’m glad you’re offering to help Michael with this case.”

“Well...I’m kind of involved, too.” Jennifer winces at the thought. “Right?”

“I believe so,” Devon says with a sigh. He leans against the arm of the couch. “I’m awfully sorry about your brother.”

Jennifer hesitates. Then she manages a, “It’s not even your fault.” She tightens her grip on the bat, which rests against her knees. “We’re just looking for clues. We’ll be back in a few days at the most, I’m sure. Probably not even that.” Another moment of hesitation, and then she adds, “I have no idea what we expect to see there, but I just hope it’s not...”

Devon raises an eyebrow.

“Bad,” Jennifer finishes, for lack of a better word.

“Whatever you do find there, just make sure you stay safe,” Devon says. “I’m sure that, with the two of you working together, you can figure out everything you need to without being put into too many dangerous situations.”

“Too many?” Jennifer repeats.

“You know what I mean,” Devon says.

Her attention is called away when Michael says, “We should get going. Assuming everything works out—”

“A risky assumption in the first place,” KITT points out.

“—We’ll be there in the evening,” Michael finishes, not dignifying KITT’s interjection with a response.

Jennifer stands and follows Michal. She climbs into the passenger seat and straps herself in.

“A baseball bat? Is that necessary?” KITT asks.

“It’s just a precaution, KITT,” Jennifer says as she lays the baseball bat at her feet. “Just in case something happens, and you can’t help in time.”

“I would try not to be put in a situation where that would happen,” KITT says.

Michael waves before backing out of the garage. He begins to drive away from the Foundation.

Once they’re out of the building, Michael goes straight to business. “I know a few places I had seen Garthe in. Vegas-wise. So we’ll check those out. Do you know anything else?”

Jennifer shakes her head. “I hadn’t heard of anything about him since he was sent to prison. Well, except when Mom told me that she was planning on getting him out. And by then I was just making a point to avoid them.”

“A nice mother-to-daughter ‘I’m going to bribe prison guards’ conversation?”

“Right?” Jennifer leans back in her seat, but she can’t make herself relax no matter what she tries.

“I have to admit, you guys have some pretty weir family arguments. With my parents it was just the usual ‘why are you staying out so late?’ or ‘there’s no way you’re getting that car, what are we going to do if you crash it?’ type stuff.”

“Normal stuff,” Jennifer says. “Well, now you’re lucky to be part of the ‘no, Garthe, you can’t keep going on your “personal conquests”’ arguments. Congratulations.”

“You’d better not crash,” KITT points out, nervous about Michael’s previous comment. “By the way, I heard of what happened to Jennifer’s car.”

“I don’t think we can go anywhere without you now,” Jennifer points out. “Not if we want to live, anyway.”

“Then I’ll do the best I can to keep the both of you safe.”

It’s a nearly silent ride after that, interrupted only by the radio channel they’re listening to and KITT’s occasional complaints about the volume of the music. There isn’t anything they can say, or that they want to say, after their initial conversation. They don’t know what they’re getting themselves into, not really, but there’s no point in discussing it. If anything, that’ll make things worse, scaring them.

In the evening, as expected, KITT announces, “We’re here. Las Vegas. For any specific building, I’ll need further instruction.”

“I can figure it out from here. Thanks, pal.”

Michael makes sure not to be distracted by all the glimmering lights. He drives down the road and parks in front of a large, decorated building—the casino where Michael had first seen Garthe.

“Okay, here we are. KITT, why don’t you drive around a bit, and we’ll call when we need you back. Jennifer...I wouldn’t bring the bat with you. We’re just going to ask about our dearly departed brother, alright?”

Jennifer hesitates before putting the baseball bat back. She climbs out of the car.

“Dearly departed brother,” Jennifer repeats in a murmur. “So our story is that he’s dead?”

“He  _ did _ fake his death.”

“Over two years ago.”

“We’ll say it was more recent if we’re pressed for details,” Michael explains. “Just ask if anyone has seen him. You brought a picture, didn’t you?”

“It’s a bit old, but it’s not like his appearance changed very much.”

“Fine with me.”

KITT drives off just as they step through the front doors.

“Just follow my lead,” Michael says, walking up to a desk at the front. He smiles at the receptionist and says, “Hi, I’m Michael. This is my sister, Jennifer.”

“How can I help you?” the receptionist asks, looking vaguely bored yet trying to be polite.

“It’s our brother, actually,” Michael says. “He’s recently passed away, you see, so we’re, ah, visiting some of the places he liked to go to.”

“Following in his footsteps,” Jennifer puts in.

“Right. Have you seen this man before?”

At this statement, Jennifer takes a printed photograph from her jacket and slides it over the counter. The receptionist takes it suspiciously.

“Ma’am, is this a mugshot?”

Jennifer smiles tightly, appearing both sad and stressed out. “Not at all, ma’am. He didn’t smile a lot, so pretty much all of his pictures look like that.”

Michael bursts into a sudden coughing fit—now isn’t the appropriate time to laugh!

The receptionist watches him a few seconds before answering. “Well...I have seen this man a few times. Just—gambling and stuff like you’re supposed to here.”

“Was he ever with anyone?” Michael asks, his voice a bit raspy as he recovers.

The receptionist eyes them suspiciously. “If you didn’t look so similar, I’d say you were lying about the whole ‘brother’ thing...But sometimes there was a woman that would come in to talk to him, and then they’d leave together. Not like I had any place to question about it.”

“Can you tell me what she looks like?”

The receptionist shrugs. “I dunno. Normal, what, college student? Yeah, I’d say college student. Long hair. Glasses. I don’t know.”

“But would you be able to recognize her?” Jennifer asks.

“Oh, maybe.” The receptionist scans the room. “Though I can’t see her here now. It’s not like she was out gambling on her own, just seeing your brother here. So I guess she wouldn’t be coming back now.”

“Unless he had something left here that she wanted to pick up?” Jennifer points out, doubting she can get any more information even as she asks.

“No, nothing like that. But you know what? I can take your phone number and tell you if someone like that comes in, alright? For the sake of your brother.”

The last comment is said almost sarcastically. The receptionist only barely believes their story. And since it’s only barely true, they can work with that.

They walk outside of the casino, and KITT shows up only a few seconds later. As they drive to the next location—the suite Garthe used to live in with Rita—KITT prints out a composite sketch of Garthe so Jennifer won’t have to use the cropped mugshot again. At the suite, no one reports having seen him. They drive around to a few other casinos, ones Michael and Jennifer think Garthe might like. The responses are all the same—either a solid “no” or a vague responds about he occasionally comes into the place, and they’ll call if they see him again.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Michael says while sitting in the driver seat on the way to another casino. “It’s like nobody’s seen him.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Jennifer says. “What if he’s trying to be hidden? or he made those people not give us much information?”

“But then they all could have just said that they haven’t seen him.”

“They could just be giving clues,” Jennifer says. “Like a scavenger hunt, only...well.”

“Yeah, I don’t like this game too much.”

“Bad news, Michael,” KITT says.

“What, KITT?”

“I’ve found KARR.”

“KARR?” Michael shifts in his seat but otherwise tries not to let his nervousness show. “Maybe you were right, then.”

“He probably knows we’re looking for him,” Jennifer says, her anxiety beginning to grow at the idea.

“Follow the signals you found, KITT,” Michael says. “Don’t worry. We’ll be able to handle him.”

“What about the plans they took? KARR might be more difficult to deal with now.”

“I  _ said _ we’ll be able to  _ handle _ him.”

Jennifer realizes this isn’t a guarantee, but something just to calm him. Jennifer falls silent and sits back in the passenger seat. Michael keeps his gaze trained on the road. KITT only speaks up to tell Michael which direction to go.

In less than a minute they find the car. A few seconds more, and Michael has to skid out of the way to avoid being hit.

“Surely he isn’t planning to ram us,” KITT says.

“I can’t tell what he’s planning.”

Michael drives off to the side of the road and hits the brakes. KITT stops where they have full view of the other car. It speeds towards them and, in just a few seconds, parks a few feet away. Michael squints at Garthe, climbing out of the driver’s seat.

“I’m going to go talk to him,” Michael says. “KITT, you make sure Jennifer stays inside.”

“Michael!” Jennifer protests.

Michael jumps out of the car and slams the doors closed just as Jennifer is about to reach him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter, i procrastinated writing the ending so long that i ended up nearly finishing the rest of the plot. i'd say to expect chapter updates soon, but i also procrastinated writing chapter ten.
> 
> .........it still isn't written yet, actually.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't bring a gun to a sibling fight.

The windows darken, cutting of Garthe’s view of her—and Jennifer’s view of what’s going on. The only lights inside the car come from the glowing buttons on KITT’s dashboard. Jennifer waits in silence.

But thanks to the comm-link, she can hear everything going on around Michael. The fighting, the attempts at talking. Garthe isn’t one to talk things out very much, of course, so she can barely gather what he’s saying.

At some point, Michael yells, “KITT, get outta here!” and Jennifer flinches, hard.

“I’m not going to leave—”

Something jostles the car.

“What was that?” Jennifer whispers.

“Michael was just thrown onto the hood. I think he intends for me to leave with you.”

“First he locks me in the car, and then he wants to drag me away?”

“KITT!” Michael calls again.

“Don’t go,” Jennifer whispers. “Please don’t go.”

“I have to. It’s not just what Michael said,” KITT explains, lurching forward, “but KARR is there, too.”

Jennifer grabs her baseball bat and clutches it to her chest. She knows it won’t be much help now, but if she’s ever let out...

Then comes a muffled voice—“KARR, lock the steering wheel, and keep him driving!”

Jennifer seizes with panic. “What does that mean?”

“I can’t stop driving,” KITT says. “We’re headed for a semi-truck.”

“Stop it!”

“I can’t, Jennifer. KARR has rendered both my steering wheel and brakes useless.”

Jennifer can detect the slightest twinge of fear in the mechanical voice. Once they drive into the semi-truck, the doors close immediately behind them. KITT is released, finally able to control himself once more, but it’s no use. He can’t get out of the semi-truck; there’s not even enough space to get a start with the turbo boost.

KITT does the only thing he can do, which is to go into park mode to prevent crashing into the walls as the semi drives off.

“KITT?” Jennifer says.

“Yes, Jennifer?”

“Can you contact Michael?”

“He isn’t responding. He may be unconscious or unable to speak right now.. KARR is following the semi-truck, with...I think there are two people inside...My scanners don’t seem to be working, properly.”

Jennifer closes her eyes. “I’d say this is our worst case scenario, but I don’t want that to make it get any worse...”

Michael can’t tell what’s going on. Lying down in the backseat of KARR, he’s somewhere between fainting and being totally conscious. His eyes roll into the back of his head a few times. Then with a sudden surge of energy he sits up—

He’s met with a gun pointed directly to his face.

It’s Garthe in the front seat, not driving. Michael looks over and sees KARR’s dashboard. It’s all too similar to KITT’s, but instead of having a red theme, everything is in the same dull yellow-green he remembers from last time.

“I didn’t have you tied up because I didn’t think it was necessary, but I’m not above that if it’ll stop you from moving,” Garthe says.

“Where are we going?”

On instinct, KARR darkens the windows to prevent Michael’s view.

“Great,” he mutters, rubbing his sore wrist. It pops whenever he moves it, shooting pain through his arm. That’s just the first of a long list of injuries he’s received. “What was that semi you had—you put KITT in?” he asks, deciding against bringing up Jennifer’s presence. Assuming he doesn’t already know.

“You’re asking too many questions.”

Michael considers how he might take the gun and turn it on Garthe. But then there would be KARR to deal with, and with the injuries he sustained from the fight anyway...

Michael bites his tongue and endures a long, silent ride at gunpoint. By the time they’re at their location, he’s barely conscious, slumped back in the seat. He doesn’t remember being brought into a room and being tied up with the lights left off. Meanwhile, Garthe’s surprised he didn’t even have to knock the man out.

Back upstairs in the garage, he sees Natalie struggling to handle KITT. He’s out of the semi-truck, but he keeps moving a few inches every time Natalie tries to approach him.

“The car’s not responding,” she says. “I’m surprised you even got it in the semi-truck in the first place.”

“Is there anything KARR can do?”

“No, I only just got him to be able to do that steering wheel stunt you pulled earlier,” she explains. “There was even a chance it wouldn’t work in the first place.”

“But it did,” Garthe says, walking over to the desk. “Leave KITT alone for a bit. I’ll check the manuals and see if there’s anything useful. In the meantime...” He turns around holding out a medical kit. “Go check on our guest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember that david hasselhoff "hooked on a feeling" music video? that was weird and now it's stuck in my head


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post this today, too, since it's been written ever since chapter 7 posted lol.

“KITT...” Michael takes a deep, ragged breath. “KITT, I need you.”

He’s in a dark room, and he’s covered with injuries from the fight. He’s sure something in his arm is broken, and he probably sprained an ankle. It hurts to move, but the way he’s tied to the chair prevents a lot of his mobility.

After a terrifying few seconds of silence, KITT’s voice comes in through the comm-link. “Michael, where are you?”

“I don’t know. I’m tied down to a—” Michael feels dizzy all of a sudden. He winces and catches his breath. “A chair, I’m tied to a...Where are you?”

“A garage,” KITT answered. “It’s not one I’ve seen before, but it must be in the area. KARR is in a separate room with a mechanic, and my manuals are on the desk.”

“And Jennifer?”

“Still here,” Jennifer whispers, her voice barely audible.

“Oh God.” Michael hisses with pain. “KITT, I want you...recording...everything...got it? Jennifer...”

“The mechanic is going towards your room,” KITT says.

The door opens. Good, there’s a door! With it comes bright light and a woman carrying a medical kit. She turns on the lights in the room and closes the door behind her before coming down the stairs. Michael’s eyes roam the room. It’s nearly empty, save for the chair he’s in and a small table beside it. There are stairs leading up to the door outside and a light bulb swinging overhead. That’s it.

“Jeeze, and Garthe told me you could put up a fight!”

“I did,” Michael murmurs, keeping an eye on her. Long hair and glasses like the person at the casino said. “So you’re working with him?”

“In a way, yes.”

She slams the medical kit down on the table beside the chair.

“You don’t seem too happy about it.”

“Well, it all boils down to the fact that I’m  _ supposed _ to be working on KARR, but now he’s sent me down here to patch you up for the sake of some revenge scheme I don’t even  _ care _ about.”

Michael squints up at her as she starts to rifle through the medical kit.

“Who are you?”

“Natalie Galt. Don’t introduce yourself because I already know who you are.”

“I’m guessing you’re not a big fan of the Foundation?”

“Look, it’s not that I have a personal vendetta in this. I’m only here for the job experience.”

“Job experience? Are you in college?”

Natalie nods. “Top of my class, too. But this is my first ‘official’ mechanic job. Since my focus is advanced car repair, it’s good to be dealing with a talking car, right? That’s more advanced than any other car I’ve seen.”

“Wonder how he found you....You know he’s probably almost a decade older than you, right?”

She looks appalled. “It’s not like that! Look, I’m here for KARR, and that’s it.”

“Good...He doesn’t have the best history anyway.” His head rolls back. “So you’re supposed to patch me up before we go and fight again?”

“I don’t really know. Like I said, Mr Michael Knight, I’m only here for KARR.”

“Right, work experience. But I don’t know if it really counts if your boss is a known crimin— _ ah _ !”

“I should have told you that the antiseptic burns,” Natalie says, putting the cotton ball back on a scrape on Michael’s arm. She cleans the scrape up and puts a bandage over it.

“How long  have you been working here?”

Natalie narrows her eyes.

“I’m just curious,” Michael says tiredly. “Anyway...not like I can do much now.”

“Well if you have to know, there was an ad posted.”

“An ad?” Michael repeats. He tries to laugh, resulting in a loud “ow!” and a wince.

“It was in the newspaper,” Natalie explains. “He said he needed a mechanic to help with an old junker car that requires some complex systems. No background necessary, just skill. I thought it’d be a great start, and I’m getting paid, too. Even with scholarships, college is rough.”

“And you couldn’t work somewhere normal?”

“Like what, Knight Industries?”

“I was just thinking anywhere that didn’t involve those two.”

“Well, it’s not like I was planning on staying with this job forever. Just until, I don’t know, I finish college, or KARR’s finished. It’s not bad work or anything, just a little weird at times. The other stuff Garthe is doing is...Well, you know.”

Natalie begins to bandage Michael’s aching wrist. Luckily, it’s the right one, meaning she doesn’t have to tamper with the comm-link. Michael winces as Natalie tugs on the bandages suddenly.

“Did I cut off your circulation?”

Michael wiggles his fingers. “I don’t think so.”

Natalie sighs, grabs more bandages, and sits down to wrap Michael’s sprained ankle.

“Can I ask you one more question?”

“Fine.”

“Did KARR tell you anything?”

“KARR? Only a little bit. He said that he was trapped in some ‘slammer’ for a long time, and that he wants revenge on your KITT for ‘replacing’ him. That’s about it?”

“You should be careful. He has a way of changing people. Manipulating them, I guess.”

“I’m not about to let myself be manipulated by a car, sir.” Natalie stands and starts to organize the medical kit so she can close it. She doesn’t look up as she says, “I’m supposed to tell you that we’re going to be disassembling your car sometime soon. Garthe’s figuring out how to destabilize that, ah, molecularly bonded shell he has.”

“It would be great to handle someone who’s not obsessed with KITT.”

“I don’t know how you can joke like this, being tied up to a chair and all.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll try letting me out?”

“Yeah, sure. I guess I’ll quit before I can get fired while I’m at it, too.”

“All this for a job?”

Natalie shrugs. “Unless we kidnap KITT’s mechanics or something, there’s not a lot of people who can work with KARR.” She pauses at the base of the stairs. “I hope nothing too bad happens to you, though. I didn’t come here to help with the whole revenge thing. I...just hope he knows what he’s doing.”

Natalie walks up the stairs. Michael’s head rolls back just as the door slams closed. He’s so, so tired...

KITT’s voice comes in through the comm-link. “My scanners indicate that you’re alone again, Michael. We should work at an escape plan while we have the chance.”

“Hmm?”

“Michael? Are you there?”

Michael lets out a sigh, a failed attempt at a response.

“Michael? Hello, Michael?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so apparently mary kate mcgeehan (jennifer) & patricia mcpherson (bonnie) were both on murder she wrote at some point, that's weird


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The escape attempt.

“Michael!” KITT tries again. Despite his robotic tone, he almost sounds frustrated. “He isn’t answering me. He might be unconscious.”

Jennifer shrinks back into the passenger seat. “Now what?” she whispers.

“Being stuck in the garage with Garthe, the mechanic, and KARR, I don’t know if I can be of much help here. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to leave. Just wait and be quiet right now.”

Jennifer clutches her makeshift weapon like it’s her lifeline. She can hear everything happening outside. Natalie is currently breaking a crowbar against the handle of the driver’s door in a failed attempt to get in.

“Nothing!” she says. “Even if we get rid of this scanner thing, we’ll probably still have trouble getting inside.” She tosses the other half of the crowbar onto the hood of the car; it bounces off harmlessly and clatters on the floor. “I’ve tried everything I can think of.”

“Have you tried asking nicely?”

Natalie turns with an arched eyebrow. “Asking nicely. Seriously? Fine, KITT, won’t you please open your doors?”

KITT remains silent.

Natalie puts out her hands as if to say “see?” Garthe only shakes his head.

“Then we’ll handle this tomorrow,” Garthe says. “You go check on KARR. That’s your primary focus anyway.”

“What about Michael Knight?”

“What about him?”

“I mean, what are you going to do with him?” Natalie asks. She pauses, raising an eyebrow. “Or is he just going to stay there...?”

“I’ll handle him,” Garthe says with a stern look that implies it would be a poor decision to question further. It’s a familiar look. “You said he was alright, didn’t you?”

Oh, now he thinks she’s lying to him? “Yeah,” Natalie says slowly. “I mean...Maybe a little delirious. But I did put on bandages like you asked.”

“Good,” Garthe says, beginning to lead her to the other room, where KARR is stored. On the way, he picks up Natalie’s tool box and hands it to her. “This’ll be over in a few days.”

“What then?” Natalie asks, worried about his plans.

“You’ll go back to school, or get another job somewhere else. But I may still need you for day to day repairs of KARR, so be sure to still be available for that.”

“That’s...not exactly what I—”

“What were you working on now?” Garthe asks, changing the subject. “The navigation system? Sounds like complex work. You’ll need to get started.”

It’s only now that she realizes she’s standing right in front of KARR.

“Oh,” she says, smiling nervously at the car, and then at her boss, “...right.”

The last parts of the conversation fade out; they’re too far for Jennifer to hear.

“Where are they now?” Jennifer whispers.

“In the other part of the garage with KARR,” KITT says, making sure to be quiet. “I wouldn’t leave just yet.”

“I wish Michael hadn’t locked me in here in the first place,” Jennifer mutters.

“I’m sure that wasn’t his intent. He often has people he cares about stay inside.”

“I’m flattered,” Jennifer says. She stops and wrinkles her nose. “Wow, I’m getting his sarcasm, too.”

“They’re back,” KITT says. “Never mind. Garthe is back. He’s past...”

“Where’s he going?” Jennifer whispers. She knows she probably doesn’t have to—given KITT’s many capabilities, she’s sure silencing whatever’s going inside is probably one of them.

“He just went through a door,” KITT says. With how low the volume is, he’s basically murmuring. “Now would be a good time to get out and investigate.”

“Good call, KITT. Thank you.”

Carefully, Jennifer slips out the passenger door. She grabs her baseball bat and backs away as KITT closes the door quietly.

The garage looks like any other garage. The part where KARR is stored is seemingly hidden away from the other area. Jennifer glances around nervously as she walks around KITT. She keeps a tight grip on her bat, ready to strike anyone who comes up to her. No one does.

What’s less normal about the garage is the wooden door at the end of it. Jennifer assumes that must be where Garthe is since he left Natalie alone with KARR. She carefully approaches the door. It’s still partially opened; she nudges it gently and looks inside.

The lights are on downstairs, but Jennifer can’t see what’s going on. There are shadows, people talking.

Garthe and Michael.

Downstairs, Michael remains tied to his seat. He’s barely in any condition to handle his situation, yet he interrupts Garthe’s revenge speech every few seconds with some sarcastic remark.

“You’re being awfully immature, especially for the position you’re in.”

“Yeah? You’re spending the resources trying to take KITT apart just to piss me off...”

“You can put it that way if you like,” Garthe says, “but it won’t change the facts.”

“And you got me tied up, too!” Michael coughs a few times; even though it hurts his chest, he can’t stop. “I bet you’re afraid or something.”

“And what do I have to be afraid of?”

“I could probably—” Another coughing fit. Breathing raggedly, he stammers out, “I could probably take you down in another fight.”

“You couldn’t do it the first time.”

“Yeah, sure, act like you’re not afraid...”

Garthe raises an eyebrow. “My dear brother, if I wanted to simply kill you, you would have been dead before we even had the chance to meet properly. I am forced to live with this, so why should I give you the relief of a death?”

“Relief of death, huh? Were you a theatre kid in high school?” Michael winces and coughs a few more times. “I bet you’re worried I’m going to attack you, huh?”

Garthe frowns, appraising Michael for a few seconds. Then he takes out a knife. “Alright, you say you want to fight? And you think you can win, too. We’ll see how that works.”

He cuts Michael free in four swift motions. Michael winces and rubs at his hurting wrists. An attempt at standing results in him being knocked down. He tries again, using his good arm to prop himself up. When he does stand, it’s on shaky legs, and he has to stop to catch his breath.

“This is a poor excuse of a fight,” Garthe says.

Michael barely dodges a punch. He elbows Garthe in the gut but has to back away from the pain it sends through his arm and wrist.

Michael sees Jennifer creeping up in the back. Slowly, she raises her bat. Michael keeps his eyes trained on Garthe.

Just as Garthe decides to take advantage of Michael’s hesitation, the bat swings, coming into contact with the side of his head. He collapses to the ground; he doesn’t even see who hit him. Jennifer freezes and stares at his unconscious form.

Behind her is a gasp.

She whirls around just as Michael is getting to his feet. It’s Natalie, standing fearfully at the base of the stairs. Knowing that she’s been spotted, she sprints up the stairs.

“Tie him up or something,” Michael says, gesturing vaguely towards Garthe. “I’ll go see what’s up with Natalie.”

“Michael, are you sure—?”

Michael waves carelessly and limps off. With a sigh, Jennifer goes to pick up her brother and see if she can keep him in the chair.

Natalie is upstairs. She seizes with panic upon seeing Michael. He puts up his hands and approaches her cautiously.

“I’m not going to hurt you. What’s wrong?”

“There was someone in that car!” Natalie points to KITT. “And she attacked Garthe?”  
Michael makes sure not to look at KITT; he knows it’s just going to distract him and probably freak Natalie out even more. Still, it’s hard to avoid showing his happiness for the reunion—if it can be called that.

“Remember what I said earlier? About your boss being a criminal?”

She takes a step back. “I don’t know anything about it.”

“You’re not in trouble. Just let my sister and I get out of here.”

She takes another two steps away. “He didn’t tell me he had a sister.”

“It doesn’t...doesn’t matter,” Michael stammers, still smarting from his various injuries. He stumbles forward a bit. “Look, Natalie—”

She turns suddenly and sprints away. Michael can’t match her speed, and walking after her is just pointless. Instead, he turns to view the room around him.

That’s when Jennifer came in.

“I couldn’t tie him up very well, but I did the best I could.”

“That’s fine. KITT?”

“Yes, Michael?”

“Where’s Natalie right now?”

“My scanners indicate she’s in the other room with KARR.”

Michael turns to look in the direction she ran. “Okay, pal, let’s just get out of here before Garthe wakes up.”

“Wait!” Jennifer exclaims, pointing to a desk in the corner of the room. “Michael, the manuals!”

“Right!”

“You wouldn’t have forgotten about those, would you?” KITT asks.

“‘Course not,” Michael mutters, following Jennifer down to the desk.

Working together, they can get all the manuals to KITT in just one trip. That’s all they can afford, anyway. They put the books in the back seat and climb in the car.

“Let’s get out of here,” Michael says, sitting down in the driver’s seat. “C’mon, KITT, let’s go!”

KITT turns and drives out of the building, crashing through the front door and speeding off into the empty desert roads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was very tempted to just put "yeehaw" as the chapter summary
> 
> once i had a dream i got michael knight to give me a ride to the dentist bc i didn't have my car and my parents wouldn't drive me and my brother only has a learner's permit atm


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garthe, Natalie, and KARR get out. Michael's health becomes more questionable each minute.

Garthe storms into the garage. “How could you let him get away?!” He flinches, pressing a hand to the spot on his head. When his fingers come away, there’s the faintest stains of blood. Damn!

“I can easily track him,” KARR says. “He’s not too far from here. In just a few minutes, we’ll be able to catch up with him.”

“Good.”

Garthe walks over and sits down in the driver’s seat. He begins driving away before Natalie can even get out of the car.

“Mr Knight?” Natalie hesitates upon seeing the look Garthe gives her. “I mean...Garthe.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I was working on something to help get KITT’s security down, but because of that I had to temporarily deactivate the thing that lets him stop the steering wheels and brakes on other cars...so you can’t do that now.”

“And is that the only feature that’s down, currently?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we’ll make it work with that.”

Natalie shifts nervously in her seat and grips her seatbelt.

Several miles down the road, KITT is driving. Michael is barely hanging onto his consciousness while Jennifer keeps watch in the passenger seat. She’s worried that leaving the bat in the garage was a mistake, but it was so splintered that it’s useless now anyway. And it’s not like they can go back now.

“KARR’s following us,” KITT says. “He’s on high speed, so at this pace, he’ll catch up with us quickly.”

“Oh—”

All of a sudden, KARR zips past them and turns around.

“KITT, turn around, and then go into super pursuit mode! Jennifer, hang onto something.”

They’re thrown back into their seats as KITT shoots forward.

“Do we have a plan?” Jennifer asks.

“Get them to stop chasing us for one.”

“How do we do that? Are we just going to keep driving?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, we’d better not bring them into a populated area. It could get to dangerous for everyone involved.”

“Then we won’t.”

In KARR, a similar conversation is going down.

“We can’t just keep chasing them forever!” Natalie protests as the car jostles her around.

“We won’t,” Garthe says, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

“What if they bring us into town? We could crash into someone!”

“I could easily avoid them if I wanted to,” KARR argues.

“But I’m not sure you do!”

“It  _ won’t _ come to that,” Garthe cuts in, his tone lethal. “How fast are they going?”

“I’m scanning three hundred and ten miles,” KARR says.

“That’s impossible,” Natalie says.

“Clearly not!” Garthe shouts as he slams on the gas pedal.

Natalie gasps out as she’s flung back in her seat. She squeezes her eyes shut. “I want out!”

“You want  _ out _ ?”

“I can’t handle this!”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“We could do without the extra passenger,” KARR points out.

Garthe grits his teeth. “Do what you will, KARR.”

Natalie barely registers that she’s being ejected from the car. She hits the sand hard. She’s caught halfway between catching herself and rolling to prevent breaking her wrists. She gasps out in pain as she struggles to get to her knees, only to fall down again.

Then the  _ other _ Trans-Am comes over.

Jennifer picks up Natalie gently but quickly and puts her in the back seat. They start driving off immediately as Jennifer sits down in the passenger seat.

“Why did I even put an eject button on the car?” Natalie murmurs.

“My scanners indicate that her left leg is broken. Her right ankle has a bad sprain. Her right wrist is also broken, and she has a few bruised ribs. She’s also bleeding in a few places.”

“And my glasses are broken.”

“We can get new ones later,” Michael says. “Jennifer, get that brown bag in the backseat. There’s a first aid kit inside.”

Jennifer reaches over and picks up the bag. After rifling through a few shirts, she finds the first aid kit and opens it up to look for something that could help Natalie until they get the chance to reach the hospital.

“Why did KARR eject you in the first place?” Michael asks.

“I’m not one for high speed chases,” Natalie murmurs.

“So he took the liberty of getting you out? I see.”

“Michael, we’re nearly caught up with them again. If you have a plan, I’d like to know about it.”

“If we can get KARR’s systems down—without killing the passenger—then we can take them in.”

“This may be a bad time,” Natalie says slowly, “but am I going to jail?”

“The Foundation will handle it,” Michael says. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Soon enough, they’re caught up with KARR. Driving side by side, they make their way up the massive, sandy hill. It makes for poor driving, but Michael’s too tired to worry. He knows KITT can handle it. He has to...

“If you’re trying to ram them, you’d better give up on the idea,” KARR says.

“Don’t switch to autopilot just yet, KARR. Remember what we discussed?”

“I distinctly recall me telling you that any danger to myself would result in me taking over the driving.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“It better not.”

“If this goes on any longer,” KITT says, “I might just have to take you guys to a hospital.”

“We’re seeing this through ‘til the end, remember?” Michael says.

“We are?” Jennifer says.

KITT skids over a bump in the hill; Natalie cries out in pain.

“Sorry,” KITT says. “I would recommend putting pressure on your wound.”

“Which one?”

“Any would suffice.”

KITT moves out of the way before KARR nearly hits them.

“That’s it. I can handle this much more quickly than you can,” KARR says, assuming control of the driving.

“I’m sure you can! You lost the past two times.”

“So did you if I recall correctly.”

“Damn you!”

“Look, we’re heading in their direction now. All three of the passengers have their own injuries that will prevent them from high performance, and that production line model won’t endanger them.”

“They’re driving right at us,” Garthe says, unflinching. He’s been in this same situation, but having a semi-truck speeding at a car is much more different than two of the same cars.

“Michael, I said this was a bad idea!” KITT says.

Michael opens one of his eyes.

It’s almost a head-on collision. It’s so close. But KARR turns last minute, clearly trying to just take out one of KITT’s wheels and protect himself from any damage.

It feels like the whole scene is in slow motion, or maybe that’s just Michael’s poor state of health. KARR tumbles down the hill. Slams on the ground, rolls, skids until it reaches the sand below. Upside-down.

Jennifer screams without meaning to. Natalie tries to jump up, resulting in her hitting her head and shooting pain throughout her whole body.

Michael only stares blankly, his vision blurring.

Instantly, KITT calls for an ambulance. Jennifer is already jumping out of the car. She stares over the edge of the hill. KARR is silent, unmoving, and she can barely make out the unconscious form of her brother inside.

“Jennifer, help is on the way,” KITT tells her. “My scanners indicate that Garthe is unconscious, but still breathing, and KARR’s systems are down.”

Jennifer goes back to the car and leans in, keeping her hands on the roof. “But the question is, will they be here in time?”

“I can’t say that for sure. However, the odds are likely that—”

“KITT, be quiet,” Michael murmurs tiredly. He looks as if he’s about to pass out; he probably is.

“I need to get you and Natalie to a hospital.”

Jennifer chews on her lip. “I want to wait here until the ambulance comes.”

“I would prefer not to leave you alone.”

“‘Ss fine,” Michael slurs.

“We’re waiting with you,” Natalie says, holding her injured arm.

“For the sake of your health, I would say that’s a bad idea,” KITT says.

“Don’t worry about it,” Natalie says. “Just...keep checking Michael Knight’s vitals. He seems pretty bad right now.”

KITT is silent for a few seconds. Then he says, “The ambulances will be here soon. Jennifer, would you feel more comfortable waiting inside?”

Jennifer sits down in the passenger seat. “Okay, just keep the doors open.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, it’s going to be alright,” Natalie says, leaning forward.

“I hope so.”

Michael falls into a fitful sleep. Jennifer, Natalie, and KITT discuss lighter matters—or try to at the very least—to keep themselves calm until they hear the distant sounds of the ambulance sirens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just watched devon miles kick a door in and i would die for him


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i just think they're neat

The hospital room, though intended to be calming to the patients there, is more nerve-wracking than anything else. It’s too quiet, too plain. With his ears ringing painfully, Michael swivels his eyes around the room. Other than him and his sister, it’s empty.

She sits next to his bed on a chair she brought over from the corner of the room. She’s silent, trying to follow his gaze as it sweeps around the room.

“Are you okay?” she asks finally, seeing that he’s not in the mood to talk unless prompted.

“Fine,” Michael says, wincing in contrast to his response. His face is still covered in bruises, making the action painful. “I don’t like this ankle brace I’m in.”

He’s lucky it’s nothing more than a nasty sprain. He’ll be in the brace for a month at the least. His leg is kept elevated by two pillows under his foot. It’s embarrassing if anything.

“How’s everyone else?” Michael asks. He was unconscious when they were all admitted.

Jennifer props up her elbows on the side of the bed and puts her chin in her hands. “Well, Natalie’s fine. She got a cast and some braces and a whole lot of bandages. She’s in a wheelchair for a bit—until her sprained ankle heels, and then I guess she’ll get crutches. She’ll be visiting you soon. I just wanted to be here when you woke up.”

Michael presses a smile. “And our dear brother?”

“Don’t say it like that,” Jennifer says. She hesitates, then frowns. “Well...he’s in a coma. Medically induced. We...don’t know when he’ll wake up. If ever.”

“Oh...”

“I went to visit him. He has a lot of casts and bandages and stuff.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be okay.”

“You can’t know that for sure.”

“You’re starting to sound like KITT, you know? You’ve been hanging out with him too much.”

Jennifer shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“Look, we’ll know what to do if it goes bad. We just has to hope it doesn’t.” Michael adjusts his position in the hospital bed and winces as he moves. “What about KARR?”

“We got the microprocessor separated while the systems were down. I think Devon’s going to deactivate him soon.”

“So that’s over...”

“I guess if you want to look at it that way,” Jennifer says with a sigh. “What are the chances of Garthe waking up with a total personality change, so he stops trying to kill you?”

“About as likely as him waking up with total memory loss, forgetting the whole revenge scheme in the first place. Let’s not hold our breath, though.” Michael makes himself sit up. “I want to get out of here anyway.”

“No way,” Jennifer protests, putting her hands on his shoulders to stop him. “You just got here. And I know you’re still hurt from the first crash in addition to this. You’re staying here.”

“KITT doesn’t like hospital parking lots,” Michael argues, not having any defenses for himself.

“I can drive him around or something if you want.”

Michael raises an eyebrow at her.

“Or not! But you need to rest either way.”

Michael collapses back onto the pillow. “Fine. Fine. I’m getting out of here as soon as I can, though.”

“I look forward to it,” Jennifer says. “Maybe when we get all these bandages off, we can go to the beach again.”

“And you can tell me more of your concerning childhood anecdotes.”

Jennifer shakes her head. “Sure, Michael.” She checks her watch. “I should be going. Devon and the mechanics are going to be visiting you in a few hours when they’re done with KARR.”

“Can’t wait,” Michael says tiredly.

“Get well soon,” Jennifer says. “And...thank you.”

“Yeah? Well thanks for hitting your brother with a bat.”

“You always know just what to say in moments like these,” Jennifer says as she puts her chair back against the wall.

“It’s a gift. You’re going to come visit?”

“Of course. You’re my brother. Anyway, who else can I talk to about Garthe?” Jennifer pauses at the door and looks over at Michael with a smile. “Bye.”

“Bye, Jennifer...”

She closes the door as quietly as she can, and Michael settles down to rest—for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so after her recovery, natalie briefly considers working for knight industries/f.l.a.g. but decides she can't deal with another talking car and ends up working at an advanced auto body repair place.
> 
> when garthe wakes up (because i'm extremely hesitant of killing characters - even ones i would gladly maim), he just kinda..........disappears. jennifer and michael decide against finding him b/c they just don't wanna deal w/ him yet
> 
> uhhhhhhhh that's that?? i'm almost surprised i finished this bc i like, never finish multichapter fics?? or original stories for that matter?? wild
> 
> i might do more garthe + karr partnerships bc honestly, it fits so well, and there are so many cool ways for it to go wildly wrong lol
> 
> thanks for reading!! i would die for you :V


End file.
